The Mooi River ( af, Mooirivier) is a river in
North West
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
Province,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It is a tributary of the
Vaal River
The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...
and belongs to the
Upper Vaal Water Management Area.
Course
The Mooi rises near
Koster and flows southwards. During its course it flows into the
Klerkskraal Dam,
Boskop Dam and the
Potchefstroom Dam. After crossing the town of
Potchefstroom it bends southwestwards, shortly bending westwards before it empties into the
Vaal River
The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...
near the border with the
Free State, about 15 km east of
Stilfontein.
Its main tributaries are the Wonderfonteinspruit (Mooirivierloop) and the Loop Spruit.
The waters of the Mooi River and its reservoirs are polluted with
heavy metals in its mid and lower course because of the large
gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...
and
uranium
Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
mining operations in the basin.
History
In November 1838
Voortrekker
The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyo ...
leader
Andries Hendrik Potgieter
Andries Hendrik Potgieter, known as Hendrik Potgieter (19 December 1792 – 16 December 1852) was a Voortrekker leader and the last known Champion of the Potgieter family. He served as the first head of state of Potchefstroom from 1840 and 1845 ...
and his followers established the first permanent European settlement north of the Vaal by the banks of the Mooi River, founding the town of
Potchefstroom. The city was named in Potgieter's honor and was the capital of the former
South African Republic
The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...
until May 1860, when the capital moved to
Pretoria
Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.
Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foot ...
.
About Potchefstroom - History
/ref>
The river and its main tributary the Wonderfonteinspruit were named by early settlers and owe their names to the abundance of karst springs that were found along their banks. Most popular ones include Klerkskraal eyes (still active) Bovenste Oog (still active), Oog van Gerhard Minnebron (still active), Boskop eye (status unknown), Turffontein eyes (still active), Oog van Wonderfonteinspruit (dry), Oberholzer Oog (dry), Bank eyes (dry) and Venterspos eye (dry).
Of these springs only Klerkskraal eye (which comprises one permanent spring and several perennial springs), Bovenste Oog and Oog van Gerhard Minnebron still flow. The status of Boskop eye is unknown as the area was flooded when Boskop dam was built making it very difficult to locate and observe.
The dry springs were a result of dewatering the aquifers that fed the eyes to make way for gold mining in the Far West Rand.
Tributaries
There are 3 primary tributaries all joining from the east they are Wonderfonteinspruit, Loopspruit and Rooikraalspruit. There are several perennial streams and drainage canals along the banks.
Notable rivers and streams in the Mooi Rivers watershed include Wonderfonteinspruit, Loopspruit, Rooikraalspruit, Enselspruit, Taaiboschspruit, Leeuspruit, Tweeloopiespruit, Mooirivierloop and Spekspruit.
Fauna
Fish
Fish species found in the river include Small mouth Yellowfish (''Labeobarbus aeneus
The smallmouth yellowfish (''Labeobarbus aeneus'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Labeobarbus''. It has become an invasive species in rivers of the Eastern Cape, South Africa, such as the Mbhashe River.
Introduction
The Orange-V ...
''), Orange River Mudfish ('' Labeo capensis''), Moggel ('' Labeo umbratus''), Sharptooth Catfish (''Clarias gariepinus
''Clarias gariepinus'' or African sharptooth catfish is a species of catfish of the family Clariidae, the airbreathing catfishes.
Distribution
They are found throughout Africa and the Middle East, and live in freshwater lakes, rivers, and sw ...
''), Banded Tilapia (''Tilapia sparrmanii
''Tilapia sparrmanii'', the banded tilapia, or vlei kurper, is a widespread and adaptable cichlid fish that is found in warmer freshwater habitats of southern Africa. They prefer water with ample plant cover, and occur naturally as far north as D ...
''), Southern Mouthbrooder (''Pseudocrenilabrus philander
''Pseudocrenilabrus philander'' or the southern mouth-brooder is a small species of haplochromine cichlid found in southern and central Africa. It was first described by the German-Dutch zoologist Max Carl Wilhelm Weber in 1897.
Distribution
Sou ...
''), Three spot Barb ('' Enteromius trimaculatus)'' , Chubbyhead Barb ''( Enteromius anoplus)'', Straight-fin Barb ''( Enteromius paludinosus)'', Western Mosquitofish ''(Gambusia affinis
The western Mosquitofish (''Gambusia affinis'') is a North American freshwater fish, also known commonly, if ambiguously, as simply Mosquitofish or by its generic name, ''Gambusia'', or by the common name gambezi. Its sister species, the easte ...
)'', Common Carp ''(Cyprinus carpio
The Eurasian carp or European carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), widely known as the common carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Arkive The ...
)'', Smallmouth Bass ('' Micropterus dolomieu)'', Swordtail ''( Xiphophorus hellerii)'', Largemouth Bass ''( Micropterus salmoides)'', Grass Carp ''(Ctenopharyngodon idella
The grass carp (''Ctenopharyngodon idella'') is a species of large herbivorous freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, native to the Pacific Far East, with a native range stretching from northern Vietnam to the Amur River on the Sino-Russian ...
)'', Rock Catfish ''(Austroglanis sclateri
The rock-catfish, ''Austroglanis sclateri'', is a species of catfish in the family Austroglanididae. This freshwater fish is endemic to the Vaal River in South Africa. It is also found in Lesotho and Namibia
Namibia (, ), officially the Re ...
)'', Canary Kurper ''Chetia flaviventris
''Chetia'' is a genus of haplochromine cichlids endemic to riverine habitats in southern Africa, as well as the Congo River Basin.
Species
There are currently six recognized species in this genus:
* '' Chetia brevicauda'' I. R. Bills & Olaf, 20 ...
)''.
Birds
The river and its surroundings harbour a rich bird population of over 250 recorded species including African Fish Eagle, Martial Eagle, Ostrich, Secretarybird, Greater and Lesser Flamingo, Grey Hornbill, Meyers Parrot, Kori Bustard, Giant Eagle Owl to name a few.
Dams in the basin
The main dams in the Mooi River and its tributaries are Donaldson Dam, Klipdrift Dam, Klerkskraal Dam, Boskop Dam and Potchefstroom Dam
See also
* List of rivers of South Africa
This is a list of rivers in South Africa.
It is quite common to find the Afrikaans word ''-rivier'' as part of the name. Another common suffix is "''-kamma''", from the Khoisan term for "river"
Meiring, Barbara"South African Toponymic Guideline ...
* List of reservoirs and dams in South Africa
The following is a partial list of dams in South Africa. __NOTOC__
In South African English (as well as Afrikaans), a dam refers to both the wall as well as the reservoir or lake that builds up as a consequence.
List of dams (reservoirs)
...
*Vaal River
The Vaal River ( ; Khoemana: ) is the largest tributary of the Orange River in South Africa. The river has its source near Breyten in Mpumalanga province, east of Johannesburg and about north of Ermelo and only about from the Indian Ocean. ...
References
External links
Mooi River Forum
{{Authority control
Vaal River
Rivers of North West (South African province)